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of vanity; and with the lawless I will not enter. I have hated the congregation of evildoers; and with the impious I will not sit." Thus, he says, have I taken care of your worship, that even when I was among impious and lawless men, I fled their gatherings and their harmful company. And through these words he indicates his life among foreigners, with whom he was forced to dwell because of his flight, and he did not endure to share in either their impiety or their lawlessness. 6, 7. "I will wash my hands among the innocent; and I will go around your altar, O Lord. That I may hear the voice of your praise, and tell of all your wonderful works." Therefore, I utterly abhor the superstition of these men, but I long to see your altar, O Master, and to receive your hymns in my ears, and to teach those who are ignorant of the mighty 80.1048 works of your wonders. And the phrase; "I will wash my hands among the innocent," is like what was done by Pilate, who, not wishing to share in the Jewish blood-guilt, washed his hands, showing by the act his flight from the matter. As innocent, therefore, he says, and having had no communion with them, I will confidently wash my hands. 8-10. "O Lord, I have loved the beauty of your house, and the place of the tabernacle of your glory. Do not destroy my soul with the impious, nor my life with men of blood. In whose hands are iniquities; their right hand is full of bribes." Instead of "beauty," Symmachus put "palace"; and instead of "men of blood," "murderous men." But rather, he says, free me from my life with these men, O Master, as I long for your house, which reflects your grace; lest I perish with impious men, and bribe-takers, and murderers, and those who betray justice. And through these words he again indicated the same men. And he called the tabernacle a house; for the divine temple had not yet been built; for which reason he also added: 11, 12. "The place of the tabernacle of your glory. But I have walked in my innocence; redeem me, O Lord, and have mercy on me. My foot has stood in uprightness." For the time being, even while being with these men, I have used the simplicity of faith, and I have separated myself from all evil, and though I have set my feet on the uprightness of piety, I stand for the time being safely and securely. But I entreat that I may keep this stance to the end; and this will be, if I am delivered from dwelling with these men. "In the congregations I will bless you, O Lord." From this especially we have learned more clearly, that the psalm is spoken concerning David himself. For he promised in all the churches throughout the world, through the writing of the psalms, to praise and bless him, foreseeing with prophetic eyes the change of the world. And the prophecy has received its fulfillment; for on every land and sea, through the mouths of the pious, the great David praises God the benefactor.

INTERPRETATION OF THE 26TH PSALM. 1. "A Psalm of David, before he was anointed." I did not find this inscription in the Hexapla,

but in some copies. From this, however, some took the occasion to reject all the inscriptions as not true. For how, they say, was it possible for David, not yet having been anointed, nor having received the grace of the most holy 80.1049 Spirit, to write prophetic psalms? Especially since he was young at that time, shepherding sheep, not ruling a kingdom, nor being persecuted by any enemies? But they should have understood that the history of the Kingdoms says that David was anointed twice, or rather, three times. First, in Bethlehem, by Samuel the prophet. Second, in Hebron, by the tribe of Judah, after the slaying of Saul. And the third time, by all the tribes, after the death of Mephibosheth. And thus it speaks concerning the second anointing: "And David inquired of the Lord, saying, 'Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah?' And the Lord said to him, 'Go up.' And David said, 'Where'

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ματαιότητος· καὶ μετὰ παρανομούντων οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθω. Ἐμίσησα ἐκκλησίαν πονηρευομένων· καὶ μετὰ ἀσεβῶν οὐ μὴ καθίσω." Οὕτω δὲ, φησὶ, τῆς σῆς πεφρόντικα θεραπείας, ὅτι καὶ παρὰ δυσσεβέσιν ἀνθρώποις καὶ παρανόμοις γενόμενος, τοὺς ἐκεῖθεν συλλό γους καὶ τὰς ἐπιβλαβεῖς αὐτῶν ἔφυγον συνουσίας. Σημαίνει δὲ διὰ τούτων τὴν παρὰ τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις διαγωγὴν, οἷς διὰ τὴν φυγὴν συνοικεῖν ἠναγκασμένος, οὔτε τῆς δυσσεβείας, οὔτε τῆς παρανομίας αὐτοῖς ἠνέσχετο κοινωνῆσαι. ʹ, ζʹ. "Νίψομαι ἐν ἀθώοις τὰς χεῖράς μου· καὶ κυκλώσω τὸ θυσιαστήριόν σου, Κύριε. Τοῦ ἀκοῦσαί με φωνὴν αἰνέσεώς σου, καὶ διηγήσασθαι πάντα τὰ θαυμάσιά σου." Τούτων μὲν οὖν σφόδρα τὴν δεισιδαιμονίαν βδελύττομαι, ποθῶ δὲ τὸ σὸν ἰδεῖν θυσιαστήριον, ∆έσποτα, καὶ τὰς σὰς ὑμνῳδίας εἰσ δέξασθαι τοῖς ὠσὶ, καὶ τῶν σῶν θαυμάτων τὰς με 80.1048 γαλουργίας τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας διδάξαι. Τὸ δέ· "Νίψο μαι ἐν ἀθώοις τὰς χεῖράς μου," ἔοικε τῷ ὑπὸ τοῦ Πιλάτου γεγενημένῳ, ὃς τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς μιαιφονίας κοινωνῆσαι μὴ βουληθεὶς, τὰς χεῖρας ἐνίψατο, καὶ τῷ ἔργῳ δεικνὺς τοῦ πράγματος τὴν φυγήν. Ὡς ἀθῶος τοίνυν, φησὶ, καὶ μηδεμίαν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐσχηκὼς κοινωνίαν, θαῤῥῶν ἀπονίψομαι καὶ τὰς χεῖρας. ηʹ-ιʹ. "Κύριε, ἠγάπησα εὐπρέπειαν οἴκου σου καὶ τόπον σκηνώματος δόξης σου. Μὴ συναπολέσῃς μετὰ ἀσεβῶν τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ μετὰ ἀνδρῶν αἱ μάτων τὴν ζωήν μου. Ὧν εἰσιν ἐν χερσὶν αἱ ἀνο μίαι· ἡ δεξιὰ αὐτῶν ἐπλήσθη δώρων." Ἀντὶ τῆς εὐπρεπείας ὁ Σύμμαχος ἀνάκτορον ἔθηκεν· ἀντὶ δὲ ἀνδρῶν αἱμάτων, ἀνδρῶν μιαιφόνων. Θᾶτ τον δὲ, φησὶ, τῆς μετὰ τούτων διαγωγῆς ἐλευθέ ρωσον, ∆έσποτα, ποθοῦντά σου τὸν οἶκον, τὸν τὴν σὴν ἀποστίλβοντα χάριν· ἵνα μὴ δυσσεβέσιν ἀνθρώ ποις, καὶ δωροδόκοις, καὶ μιαιφόνοις, καὶ προϊεμέ νοις τὸ δίκαιον συναπόλωμαι. Καὶ διὰ τούτων δὲ πά λιν τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἐδήλωσεν. Οἶκον δὲ τὴν σκηνὴν ὠνό μασεν· οὐδέπω γὰρ ὁ θεῖος νεὼς ᾠκοδόμητο· διὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγε· ιαʹ, ιβʹ. "Τόπον σκηνώματος δόξης σου. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐν ἀκακίᾳ μου ἐπορεύθην· λύτρωσαί με, Κύριε, καὶ ἐλέησόν με. Ὁ ποῦς μου ἔστη ἐν εὐθύτητι." Τέως δὲ καὶ τούτοις συνὼν, τῇ τῆς πίστεως ἁπλό τητι κέχρημαι, καὶ πάσης ἐμαυτὸν κακίας ἐχώρισα, κἂν τῇ τῆς εὐσεβείας εὐθύτητι τοὺς πόδας ἐρείσας, ἕστηκα τέως ἀσφαλῶς καὶ βεβαίως. Ἀντιβολῶ δὲ εἰς τέλος ταύτην φυλάξαι τὴν στάσιν· ἔσται δὲ τοῦτο, εἰ τῆς μετὰ τούτων ἀπαλλαγείην οἰκήσεως. "Ἐν ἐκ κλησίαις εὐλογήσω σε, Κύριε." Ἐντεῦθεν μάλιστα σαφέστερον μεμαθήκαμεν, ὡς εἰς αὐτὸν εἴρηται τὸν ∆αβὶδ ὁ ψαλμός. Ὑπέσχετο γὰρ ἐν ἁπάσαις αὐτὸν ταῖς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐκκλησίαις διὰ τῆς τῶν ψαλμῶν συγγραφῆς ὑμνήσειν τε καὶ εὐλογήσειν, προφητικοῖς ὄμμασι τὴν τῆς οἰκουμένης προβλέπων μεταβολήν. Ἔλαβε δὲ καὶ τὸ τέλος ἡ προφητεία· ἐν πάσῃ γὰρ γῇ καὶ θαλάσσῃ διὰ τῶν εὐσεβῶν στομά των ὁ μέγας ∆αβὶδ ἀνυμνεῖ τὸν εὐεργέτην Θεόν.

ΕΡΜΗΝ. ΤΟΥ Κςʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ. αʹ. "Ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αβὶδ, πρὸ τοῦ χρισθῆναι." Ταύτην ἐν τῷ Ἑξαπλῷ τὴν

ἐπιγραφὴν οὐχ εὗρον, ἀλλ' ἐν ἐνίοις ἀντιγράφοις. Ἐντεῦθεν δ' ὅμως ἔλα βόν τινες ἀφορμὴν τοῦ πάσας τὰς ἐπιγραφὰς, ὡς οὐκ ἀληθεῖς, ἐκβάλλειν. Πῶς γὰρ, φασὶ, οἷόν τε ἦν μηδέπω χρισθέντα τὸν ∆αβὶδ, μηδὲ τοῦ παναγίου 80.1049 Πνεύματος τὴν χάριν δεξάμενον, προφητικοὺς γρά ψαι ψαλμούς; ἄλλως τε καὶ νέος ὢν τηνικαῦτα, πρόβατα ποιμαίνων, οὐ βασιλείαν ἰθύνων, οὐδὲ ὑπό τινων διωκόμενος δυσμενῶν; Ἔδει δὲ αὐτοὺς συνιδεῖν, ὡς δὶς λέγει χρισθῆναι τὸν ∆αβὶδ ἡ τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἱστορία, μᾶλλον δὲ τρίς. Πρῶτον μὲν ἐν τῇ Βη θλεὲμ, ὑπὸ Σαμουὴλ τοῦ προφήτου. ∆εύτερον δὲ ἐν Χεβρὼν, ὑπὸ τῆς Ἰούδα φυλῆς, μετὰ τὴν ἀναίρεσιν Σαούλ. Τὸ δὲ τρίτον, ὑπὸ πασῶν τῶν φυλῶν, μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν τοῦ Μεμφιβοσθέ. Λέγει δὲ οὕ τως περὶ τῆς δευτέρας χρίσεως· "Καὶ ἐπηρώτησε ∆αβὶδ διὰ Κυρίου λέγων· Εἰ ἀναβῶ εἰς μίαν τῶν πό λεων τῆς Ἰουδαίας; καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς αὐτὸν, Ἀνάβηθι. Καὶ εἶπε ∆αβὶδ, Ποῦ